The Move
by DeadMeat
Summary: Hikaru has a problem, will Akari be able to help him overcome it? WAFFy HikaruAkari, among others. Ch3, ready for takeout! [no yaoi pairings]
1. Ch1: The initial move

**Title:**            The move

**Author: **           Dead^Meat            (deadmeat@bhlegend.com) 

**ICQ:**            7790861            (Auth. req – state who you are when you ask)

**Dates of revision:**            2003-06-09 v 0.05 (Started)

                      2003-06-20 v 1.0  (Chapter 1 released)

* Disclaimer: Characters from Hikaru no Go have been used without permission. All characters contained in this work are copyright their respective mangaka and publishers, etc. No financial gain made by this.

* Quick-list of various Japanese words/phrases used, and it's translation.

-kun       = name suffix

-chan      = name suffix, mainly girls

-san       = name suffix

Go         = a popular Japanese board game using black and white stones

Hai        = yes

Insei      = special Go-student

* Reading: 

"d" - Denotes speaking

'd' - Denotes thinking

_d_ - Denotes punctuation

|d| - Denotes sound effects

******************************************************************

Chapter one: The initial move 

******************************************************************

"Akari, want me to help you carry the groceries?"

Startled, Fujisaki Akari quickly turned around and faced her childhood friend, Shindou Hikaru.

"Huh? Hikaru? What are you doing here?" Akari asked, still slightly overwhelmed at Hikaru's sudden approach, and especially by the wearied expression across his face.

"Tss." Hikaru crossed his arms, sounding rather annoyed at being questioned. "If you don't want my help, just say so." Turning around, he prepared to head off and leave her be, but Akari managed to remember herself, and stopped him.

"N-no! Please, help me carry my bags, Hikaru-kun."

"Che. Why didn't you just say so?" Pulling the heavy-laden grocery-bag from Akari's hands, he grunted slightly from the burden, then walked off towards home, leaving his friend to care for herself. Quickly, Akari scurried after him, slowing down to take a position slightly behind him.

Walking quietly down the familiar streets, Akari ransacked her mind to find something to say, and perhaps learn of the cause for Hikaru's annoyance, without getting him even more fed up. Coming up with nothing, she settled for the next best thing, and spoke up.

"It's, uh, a nice day today…" Cringing slightly, she wondered what Hikaru would think of her, saying something as typical as that, but his reply rather confounded her.

"Huh?" He grunted, taking a quick look at the sky. "Oh, right. It _is_ a nice day today."

Her mind whirling, Akari wondered why it was that Hikaru just noticed this, seeing how the last few days had been awfully rainy, and with the weather having cleared up, the air had felt fresh and cool. But then again, it seems like his mind has been pretty far off on something Go-related, so it shouldn't be a surprise to her.

Having fallen silent once again, Akari sadly wondered about what she should do.

******************************************************************

'I know it. I damn well know it. But I can't remember! Argh!'

Mentally punishing himself, Hikaru inwardly cursed and cried, picking on his brain for not remembering the specific set of sequence he just _had_ to figure out. Right now, right this minute. If not, Touya Akira would laugh at him, forever wondering what he ever saw in this would-be rival of the great, young Go-genius. At least, that's how Hikaru saw it.

Muttering to himself, his thoughts were once again interrupted by a certain girl.

"Umm, Hikaru-kun … is there any problem?"

'Yes. You are me problem right now!'

"No, no. No problem at all. None whatsoever. Ahaha haha ha…"

Unconvinced, Akari continued to bug him about it, surely out of concern, but concern isn't what he needs right now. He needs to remember.

"Look." Hikaru halted in midstep, and swung around to glare down at Akari, who looked surprised and maybe slightly frightened. Once again, Hikaru idly wondered when it was that he outgrew Akari, who had always been taller than him since they knew each other, but these queer thoughts he quickly shook out of his head.

"I'm having problems trying to remember something, something that I desperately need to remember right now. And it doesn't help when you consistently interrupt my thoughts!"

Taken back by his outburst, Akari stared wide-eyed up into his red-grazed ones, and spoke.

"Well, excuse _me_ for being concerned about your health!" Frowning angrily up at him, Akari extended her right hand and took a grip on the plastic bag, trying to force it back.

Her attempt failed miserably, as she was clearly not as strong as Hikaru. But her effort paid off.

Sighing, Hikaru reached over with his empty hand, and easily loosened her grip from the bag. Still holding Akari's hand, he gently squeezed it, causing her to sadly stare up at him with teary eyes, sniffling slightly. Feeling something stir inside of him, Hikaru felt an awful regret tear through him, having unjustly burdened his friend with his own problems, so he hung his head in shame, releasing Akari's hand.

"I'm … I'm sorry, alright? It's been a rough day for me, and I haven't fully come to terms with it, yet, so I've been feeling quite miserable. And now I've taken it out on you, and I feel really bad about it. Will you forgive me?"

At first, Hikaru avoided Akari's inquiring eyes, but seeing no end to it, he raised his head, allowing her sharp eyes to pierce through him, and sense his sincere admittance. Slowly, her smile started to bloom back up on her face, as she wiped her tears away, and shone like sunshine in his eyes.

"Of course I will forgive you, Hikaru-kun, but only if you tell me your problems, and allow me to help you deal with it."

Smiling back at her, he allowed all of his recently built up tension to slowly erode away from him, as he wondered what he had been so worried about, and accepted her offer.

******************************************************************

Having first returned home to drop off the groceries, Hikaru and Akari were soon walking around the neighbourhood, enjoying the afternoon sun shine brightly down on their faces. Not long after they had started walking, memories started to flush in, as they reminisced over their childhood, and past times long gone. 

Laughing, they pointed at trees once climbed, houses once sneaked through, parks they had chased each other around in and candy stores once nicked off from. Finally, they lay on the grass in the park, underneath a large Sakura, one of the large ones they had often climbed a long time ago, and enjoyed the cool breeze brushing on their faces.

Finally, Hikaru thought that it was time to do what they were here for, and he sighed wearily. Turning her head to look at Hikaru, who lay next to her, she kept quiet, waiting for Hikaru to make his move.

******************************************************************

"No no no! Can't you see? You should've responded here, because then you can cut off your opponent at this point, and this point!"

"That won't work! He'd just answer here, completely destroying your territory at this corner! Instead, if you defend this territory here, you can move up and cut him off here!"

"Idiot! That's so obvious no one would think of using that tactic! They'd just stop you at this point, and move on here!"

It was usually meaningless to listen past this point, since they both would soon start to loudly quarrel and bicker at each other. It would soon enough resort to name-calling, and finally end with Hikaru storming off from the Go-salon, leaving an agitated Touya Akira sitting moodily by himself, staring down at the Go-board in front of him. 

But this time, it was different.

"You don't get it, do you?" Hikaru quietly asked his rival with a tone which was so unusual that it caught Touya off guard, resulting in a, for Touya Akira, queer respond.

"Huh?"

"…" Hikaru kept his mouth shut, a serious frown marking his features, his mind churning furiously as he tried to recall something from the past.

"What is it?" Akira finally asked, wondering about what in the world Shindou-kun was thinking about.

"Damn it. I can't remember! If I did, I'd so kick your ass with the ultimate move! But I can't remember it! Damn it…"

Rolling his eyes in exaggeration, Akira stood up from the table and looked down at Shindou-kun.

"Well, since you can't prove me wrong right now, I'm for a bite at the ramen-place down the street. Will you join me?"

Frowning, Hikaru looked up at a solemn-faced Touya-kun, and shook his head.

"I'm not hungry. And I won't be back until I can remember that move, and prove you wrong!"

Touya Akira just shook his head, and strode out of the Go-salon, for once being the one who left his rival sitting moodily at the Go-board, frowning down at it.

******************************************************************

"That's it. That's the whole story. And that's what I have been so frustrated about, these last few days. I just can't seem to remember that order of moves I saw Sai play a long time ago…"

"Huh? Who's Sai?" Akari idly wondered.

"Uh, no. No one. Just a friend I've played Go with, a long time ago…" First having felt embarrassed because of the slip of his tongue, he now felt regret and longing for an old friend who had moved on, leaving Hikaru to face the world by himself. As he wallowed in these sad emotions, he got prodded by Hikari's extended finger as she loudly wondered if he had been listening to her. Stirring himself from these feelings, he shook his head clear, and asked Akari to repeat herself.

"Well, what I meant with what I just said, is that it's often the case that if you think too much on what you try to remember, it will never come to you. But on the other hand, if you relax your mind, and allow it to rest while doing something else, you'll see that it will come to you."

Surprised, Hikaru sat up and gawked down at Akari, who started to blush under his scrutiny, while thinking about what she had just said. Then his face turned into this huge grin, and he threw himself back down on the grass, arms spread wide, sighing comfortably.

"You know, now that I think about it, I've heard that saying as well! So seeing how both you and I know it, I guess I'll give it a shot. Thanks, Akari-chan!"

Blushing, Akari mumbled "No problem", and smiled up into the blue sky overhead.

******************************************************************

Sitting by the fountain in the park, the two teenagers chattered idly about whatever they could think of, such as rumours, gossip, Go, and high school as they tried to make Hikaru think of something else rather than a certain move that worried him. Unfortunately, as time past by and there was still no sign of him getting closer to a revelation, Hikaru became more and more agitated, finally ending in him falling silent once more, brooding.

Worriedly, Akari moved closer to Hikaru, who leaned forward with his elbows supported on his knees, looking glumly down on the ground. She too leaned forward, but turned her head up and tried to look into Hikaru's downcast eyes.

"I guess this is not enough … I'm sorry, Hikaru-kun, for not being of much help to you." Having apologised, she breathed out a deep sigh, then stood up on her legs, shaking the restlessness out of it. When finished, she just stood there, waiting patiently for Hikaru to wake up from his reverie. After awhile, her friend finally sat up straight, looking sadly into her eyes. Then he stood up to join her.

"No … it's not your fault. It's just that, it feels like this isn't enough … please, don't get me wrong!" Hikaru added, noticing how Akari had tensed up at his last remark. "I do enjoy your company, Akari-chan, but just sitting here, talking like this … my mind unconsciously wander off towards Go … I guess I'm way too involved in that game, am I right?" Chuckling nervously, Hikaru raised his left hand and scratched the back of his head, blushing healthily in front of Akari, who smiled painfully back at him.

"Well, at least it's not a-" She started, but was interrupted as Hikaru slammed his right fist into his palm, smiling broadly.

"Oh, hey!" He exclaimed, sounding like he just had an excellent idea. "Are you free tomorrow?"

"Y-yes … ? It's Sunday tomorrow … and I haven't really got anything special to do … why?" Akari replied nervously, but still intently forgetting to mention the homework she had to do tomorrow. She could do those tonight instead.

"Well, since we're both available, and I just got my paycheck for last month, how about if I treat you to a restaurant, and maybe a movie?" Hikaru suggested innocently, noticing how Akari started to turn bright red with the realisation of his question.

"I-I … ! Of course!" Outwardly, Akari turned crimson red in embarrassment, turning her head away to try to conceal her flushing emotions. Inwardly, Akari was screaming giddily, asking herself over and over again, if she had heard right. Asking if she had just heard Hikaru ask her out on a … date!

Hikaru, on the other hand, nodded briefly and missed everything but the positive reply, as his mind refocused on that move.

******************************************************************

"Mom, I'm going now!" Hikaru called loudly as he pulled on his shoes.

"Where are you going, Hikaru?" She called back, appearing by the door to the kitchen.

"Just hanging out with Akari for awhile, no need to fix lunch for me!"

"Well, okay, bye Hikaru."

"Bye mom!" Hikaru quickly waved at her mother, then leapt off from the house, closing the door behind him. Walking the few steps up to Akari's house, he jammed his thumb on the door bell, then backed off and turned away from the door and waited for someone to answer the door, whistling casually.

"Hey, Hikaru-kun!" Someone, probably Akari, called from behind the door. This was confirmed, as Akari opened the door and continued. "Please wait a moment, I'll be right with you."

"Che. You're not ready yet?" Hikaru pouted and glared up at the sky, hoping that his hair had finished drying. After a while, he heard the door shut close, so he turned around to face his friend, and was astounded at what he saw.

"Wow!" Hikaru remarked, letting his eyes slowly travel over a nervously blushing Akari, from top to bottom and back again. He noticed how good she looked in the light-blue, long dress she wore, with sandalwood slippers adorning her lithe feet and her regular hairstyle framing her cute, blushing face. Taking a mental note, he told himself to see her in a different light from now on.

"D-do you like it?" Akari nervously stammered her question, but felt that a reply was quite unnecessary, seeing how Hikaru's eyes began to shine in a way she haven't seen for a long time.

"Mmm." Hikaru nodded. "Very much. So, shall we go?" he proceeded to ask, extending a hand towards her.

"Sure…" Akari agreed, then slowly took hold of his offered hand, wondering why it felt different from before. It's not like this is their first time holding hands, after all…

A sudden jerk pulled her out of her thoughts, as Hikaru started to drag her away, grinning wickedly.

"W-wait, Hikaru-kun! Mou!"

******************************************************************

The day went by too far quickly, in Akari's opinion, as they first set off for the shopping centre, where they ate lunch at a small, cosy restaurant, joking and talking to each other like they used to do when they were kids.

After the movie, which was a romantic comedy Hikaru let Akari choose, they strolled around the walking streets, doing some occasional window shopping, observing other people's way of spending time on a Sunday, and generally enjoyed each other's company.

Walking around that way, they soon stumbled upon a Go-salon which Hikaru had never visited before. Raising his eyebrows in a question, Akari sighed but nodded anyway, letting him lead the way up the stairs and into the smoky confines of the Go-salon.

Looking around, their first impression was that it looked pretty shabby, with old stained wallpapers encasing the dimly lit hall, and old chairs and tables cluttering the floor in a chaotic, yet somehow organised way.

But although the location looked shabby, the clientele seemed younger than usual, apparently around ages between 20 and 40.

"Doesn't look that bad, does it?" Hikaru whispered to Akari, who nodded silently, still doubtfully scrutinising the location.

"Oy! Shindou-kun! That you?" a voice suddenly called from among a crowd standing patiently by a match. After some careful shoving and mumbled excuses, the man who called out to Hikaru broke free, grinning at Hikaru as he noticed the girl standing next to him.

"Damn, Shindou-kun, you've got a girl? And a cute one too! Why didn't you tell me?" the older boy asked Hikaru, still grinning underneath his wild, black pointy hair. "Well, introduce us already!"

"Oh, right, umm, Akari-chan, this is Waya Yoshitaka, my old insei-friend and now fellow Go-pro. Waya-kun, this is my … neighbour and childhood friend, Fujisaki Akari."

"Friend indeed … !" Waya playfully elbowed Hikaru's stomach, then turned to Akari. "Fujisaki Akari, was it? Well, nice to meet you!" He then gave her a curt bow, smiling broadly. Akari blushed and did the same, adding that it was nice meeting him as well.

After the short introduction and some idle small talk, Waya started to talk about the game he was just observing, using several terms which wasn't commonly used, which Hikaru slightly frowned upon and which were completely lost on Akari. Soon enough, she excused herself, saying that she would go get some soft drinks. After Waya had pointed out the café, and given her some money for a can, she left the two of them standing there, their eyes trailing after her lithe form navigating between the crowd.

"Finally! I thought she'd never leave!" Waya exclaimed, keeping his voice low enough for only Hikaru to hear.

"So that's why you were talking like that." Rolling his eyes, Hikaru continued to frown at his grinning friend. "You have anything against her, or something?"

"Why, no! On the contrary, she sounds like a really nice girl. But I just had to ask you, man to man … how far have you gone with her? Huh, Shindou-kun?"

"W-what are you talking about? It's nothing like that! We just went out for lunch and a movie, that's all…"

"Oh, sure, and how is that different from a real date, huh?" Waya noted, and grabbed Hikaru in a head-lock, playfully rubbing his head with his knuckles.

"Ow! Waya, stop it!" Shaking himself free, he backed off and glared at his friend, gently rubbing his aching head.

"Besides, I don't think she thinks of me in that way anyway…"

Wide-eyed, Waya stared at his friend, disbelief shining in his eyes at this for him apparent, and stupid question. Then he started his tirade.

"Then let me ask you this. Do you often see her dressed up like this?"

"W-well … no, not really. Not since we were kids…" Sensing where this would lead to, Hikaru raised his guard.

"So that means that she did dress up especially for today, for going out with you, correct?"

"I-I guess…" Hikaru nervously admitted, blushing.

"Well, there's your answer!" Waya pointed out, glad to be able to help his friend realise something this obvious.

"But what should I do now? I'm starting to feel nervous, I mean…" Shaking his head, Hikaru sighed, unsure of whether he wanted to know all this, or if it had been better playing ignorant.

"First, get her out of here. Stay in here, and you'll never be intimate with her. Instead, go do something by yourselves, in private. Seeing how you stopped by here, if you want to play Go, play with her in your room or something…" pausing for a moment, Waya carefully wondered, "she does play Go, right? …"

"Yes, she does…" 

"Great! Well, don't linger here for too long, oh look, here she comes. Good luck, Shindou-kun!" Flashing Hikaru a smile, Waya nodded to him, then headed straight for Akari who had finished buying their soda's. Hikaru saw him gratefully accept his Sprite from Akari, point to Hikaru and wave good bye to her. As she came back to Hikaru, he swallowed nervously and pushed back the tingly feeling welling deep inside of him, while trying to smile as usual, going for the plan suggested by his friend.

******************************************************************

Akari was an apt student, and Hikaru began to think that it was fun, teaching her Go like this, in his slightly cluttered room. He went through lots of beginner level problems with her, explaining and guiding her through those she couldn't figure out, while complimenting her on those she managed to solve. Sitting on the opposite side to her, leaning against his closet observing Akari pondering on a problem with a serious face, he smiled to himself, and started to doze off.

"Woops!" Hikaru quickly sat back up again, having caught himself almost falling asleep. Seeing her curious expression, he stammered an explanation, and an apology.

"Sorry, guess I almost dozed off there, has been a long day hasn't it?"

Smiling, Akari nodded her understanding, and told him that it was fine, she could take care of herself, and he could go back to sleep.

"Well," Hikaru added. "If you need any help, just wake me up, alright?"

Akari nodded with a smile, and Hikaru tilted back against the closer once more, closing his eyes.

******************************************************************

Feeling wearied herself, Akari dropped the white Go-stone in her hand, and leaned back against the bed on the opposite side of Hikaru, staring sleepily at his dozing, carefree face. Suddenly thinking about the past Hikaru, she lazily compared Hikaru as he was now, with how he looked like in her mind's eye, several years ago. And the conclusion was he was the same guy that she had always known.

His hairstyle is still the same, unique mix of jet-black hair, topped with blond locks hanging over his forehead. His other features like big eyes, soft nose, and plush lips were all highlighted by the late afternoon sun, as it shone through the window and gently caressed his slumbering form. He looked the same as before, and he moved around and acted the same as before, like the Shindou Hikaru she had known since she was a child, but by god, he had had grown up to be so mature, and turned out to be so handsome.

Tuning everything else out, her mind unconsciously focused on his lips, resulting in her staring dreamily into it, wondering, dreaming, and toying with the idea of kissing him. If only she dared to confess her feelings for him.

Shaking her head, she threw away the sad emotions and embraced her fantasy, continuing from where she had left off.

First, she would run her hands through his soft, pointy hair, from his forehead up and back to his neck, caressing him softly. Then, she would move her hands back to his face, and delicately trace the outlines of his eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips and chin with the tip of her fingers, hopefully making him smile, and perhaps blush as well. Having lost her patience, she would then lean forward, slowly closing in on his lips, feeling his hot breath cover her lips in a thin film of moist, tickling her senses. And then she would take him.

Feeling all flustered and giddy, Akari covered Hikaru's lips with her own, taking in his warm exhale, and kissed him deeply. Savouring the tingling sensations made in this lifelike dream, she felt that it was her happiest moment in her life, as she moved her mouth around and trying to kiss him as much as possible. Suddenly, a tongue penetrated the gap between her lips, invaded her mouth, and roamed around it, licking her teeth and the back of her lips, making sure to cover everything with his sticky saliva. Baffled, she fought back with her own, playfully duelling with his coarse tongue, which ended with her catching it with her lips, and suck on it.

Relishing the emotions running through her, she sighed deeply, wondering and longing for when they would be doing things like this on daily basis. As Akari started to feel sad again, she accidentally bit the tongue that she had caught, causing an audible grunt to interrupt her thoughts.

Akari immediately stopped what she was doing, released the foreign tongue and flapped her eyes open. And stared directly into Hikaru's piercing gaze.

"Ow, play nice!" He mumbled dazedly.

'Oh my god! Oh my god!'

Hurling herself away from Hikaru, she covered her mouth with her hands, not believing what she had just done. Of course it had felt real, because it _was_ real! Blushing furiously, she tried to stammer an apology to him, but failed to utter a single, coherent word. Teary eyed, she mentally shook herself for what she had done, and quickly rose up and gathered her things, feeling a sudden urge to leave, to escape his inquiring eyes. Flee, before he could reject her. Because that would hurt too much.

Scurrying off towards the door, she stopped in her tracks as she noticed that Hikaru stood there by the door, blocking it slightly, his eyes intently seeking contact with hers, a request which she denied as she hung her head, waiting for his judgement.

"Akari…" Hikaru whispered softly, and she relented, bravely looking up into his eyes, and became shocked when finding a warm smile shining back at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

Confused by the unexpected question, her mind caught up with herself as she realised the implied suggestion, and turned crimson red in apparent embarrassment, and happiness.

"Y-yes … I'll see you then…" she stammered while smiling awkwardly to him, inwardly feeling overjoyed as she literally bounced her way from his room. Once back in her own room, she threw herself on the bed, where she cuddled with a pillow and smiled blissfully at the memory of Hikaru, and their mind-numbing kiss.

******************************************************************

Early next morning, Akari gently the door to Hikaru's house, then quickly checked and adjusted her clothes. Blinking the sleeplessness from her eyes, she idly wondered what took so long, when the door opened.

"Oh, Akari-san, are you here for Hikaru?"

"Yes, Auntie. Is he awake?"

"Well, yes, actually, he woke up pretty early today, that strange kid … and I'm sorry, but he's already left." Hikaru's mom said sadly.

"Oh … well, then I guess I'll try to catch up to him. Thanks, bye!"

"Have a nice day." Hikaru's mom wished Akari.

Akari made a quick bow, then quickly turned around and leaped off on the street, wondering why Hikaru had left so early this morning.

'We were supposed to meet, weren't we? I guess I'll try to catch up to him.'

******************************************************************

"Hi, Kumiko-san."

After being called, Tsuda Kumiko turned her head and saw her friend, who seemed a bit out of breath as she made her way through the desks.

"Good morning, Akari-san!" As Akari sat down on her seat next to Kumiko, she quickly looked around, then turned back to Kumiko, who started to speak. "You know what? I think I'm starting to miss the Go-club. I haven't played much since we left it to start studying for the high school exams … but somehow I get this odd tingling sensation on my fingertips whenever I see a Go-board." Giggling nervously, Kumiko blushed at her odd feelings, then sighed sadly while gazing down on the floor. "Anyway, have you-"

"Excuse me, Kumiko-san, I just need to ask you, have you seen Hikaru today?"

Blinking at having been interrupted, Kumiko placed a delicate finger on her forehead, pouting slightly while taking a few moments to go through her memory, but then slowly shook her head.

"Oh wait! Right, now I remember!" She suddenly burst out. "Out in the hallway earlier this morning, I think I heard Shindou-kun ask the teacher for the day off, telling him that it was something Go-related." Having told her everything she knew, curiosity got the better half of her. "Why'd you ask?"

Turning her head away to hide her blush and confusion, Akari mumbled that it was nothing, that she just thought of asking. Kumiko didn't buy that, however, but resolved to get to the bottom of this, as soon as class was over.

******************************************************************

'Has he been avoiding me?' Akari sadly asked herself, as she totally forgot about the class that took place around her. Thinking about this, how she had missed him at home, then here at school, she kept thinking that it couldn't have been a coincidence. And the more she thought that way, the more she worried that that might have been the case. And the more she worried, the more depressed she became, sighing dejectedly down on the wooden table, already regretting yesterday.

******************************************************************

Staggering her way home, Akari blinked hard and often, ignoring her irritated eyes. Rubbing them again, she walked dispiritedly, thinking that all was lost, that he would avoid her from now on, and that she would never see Hikaru again. Passing his door, she stared glumly at it for a while, then pushed her way home, mumbled something to her mother's worried question, and locked herself inside the bathroom.

Once inside, she set the shower on full blast in an attempt to mask the sounds of crying from the inside.

******************************************************************

Hollow-eyed, the shower had helped little to ease her mind, as Akari trudged up the stairs to her room, ignoring her parents worried buzzing. Once inside, she locked the door, as she felt like being alone, and dropped down on her bed. Cuddling a pillow, she stared up at the ceiling, idly gazing up on the familiar texture and various stains. She knew them all by heart, as she had slept under this ceiling for all of her life, and this was hardly her first sleepless night. 

Yes, she anticipated that. Her sleeplessness would come back to haunt her, each time she was emotionally distressed, like today. Drying a single tear that had escaped from her shut eye-lids on the pillow, the sound of trickling rain drumming the roof started to fill her ears, as rain poured down from the dark, cloudy sky. 'How appropriate' she thought, then felt her energy slowly deplete into the warm bed underneath.

|THUCK|

Rapidly opening her eyes, it darted across the dark room, searching for the source of the sound.

|THUCK|

'There! Again!' Having judged that it sounded like a small stone hitting a window, her guess was confirmed as her eyes visibly saw a small stone hit her window.

|THUCK|

Akari quickly leaped out of bed, and opened the window. Leaning out of her window, she saw Hikaru standing below her, with a pile of stones in his left hand, grinning up to her.

"Hey! Let me in! It's freezing out here!" He urgently whispered to her, a whisper that pierced through the rain and right into her heart. Seeing him drop the stones and attempt to climb up the tree, from where he'll probably try to jump off the branch and land on her tiny balcony, she opened her window to the fullest and reached out, to grab him.

|HUPP!|

Hikaru cried, and landed awkwardly half inside her room. Akari pulled his wet body in and quickly closed the window, then turned around to see him stagger up, a crooked smile on his face.

"Ouch …" He told her, wincing while rubbing his left knee. "Thought that it was a longer jump, but I guess I've grown a bit since last time, ehehe."

Akari just stared at him, her mind and thoughts all totally lost as her mind finally registered the surprise.

"Well! You know what? I finally remembered that move! I recalled that the Institute stored a lot of Shuusaku's old games, and I immediately decided that somewhere they should- … Akari?" Hikaru finally realised that Akari hadn't spoken to him yet, and that she was just standing there in front of him, her front slightly damp from the rain on his dripping body, staring teary-eyed at him.

"Akari, what's wrong?" He gently asked her.

|SNIFF|

"I- … I thought you never wanted to see me again …" Akari mumbled, letting her tears slowly run down her smooth, red cheeks.

Wide-eyed, Hikaru couldn't believe his ears and her statement.

"Wh-what? Who told you that?" 

"N-no one … but seeing how you avoided me today, I thought …"

Finally connecting things, Hikaru smiled at her, then quickly swept her up in a gently embrace, kissing her forehead.

Surprised, Akari could only stare up at him, while her senses all screamed and focused on the point where he had just kissed her. Kissed her!

"I'm sorry, Akari-chan, for making you believe that I was avoiding you. Trust me when I say that I never intended to." Releasing her from his grip, they stood toe-to-toe to each other, both staring into each others eyes, while Hikaru gently brushed her hair away from her face, then rubbed the tears away.

"Besides, didn't I promise to meet my girlfriend today? Well, here I am."

Staring up into his piercing gaze, Akari leaped into his arms, forcing them to fall down on her bed, with her on top.

As their eyes were closed, and their lips locked to each other, the world was lost to the couple who shared their love and joy under that endless, rainy night.

******************************************************************

******************************************************************

Author's Notes:

Well! Finally, it's completed :P After writing half of this when I started, I successfully ignored this while working on other fics and other IRL stuff, before finally finishing.

Originally planned as a one-shot, I wrote this mainly because I like HnG a lot, I love WAFFy fanfics, and there were Too Damn Many Yaoi/Shounen-ai ones at FFN!!! *Ehum*

No offense meant to you guys who loves/writes them, but I just feel that there had started to become too many of those ;P Need to balance it with good, regular mf pairing :) And in this case, Hikaru/Akari, a perfect match!

Anyway, as I was saying, I had originally planned this as a one-shot, but depending on the interest generated, and whether I'll have some free time off FME! (check my Author's page) and work, I do have follow-ups planned for this. Don't expect them too soon, though :( I'll be real busy this summer -_-"

Other notes about this fic, I have tried to reduce the amount of japanese words as best I could. This because I want others, not into jap and anime and everything, to be able to understand without having to ransack their brains, but also because in the end, it would become too much. I'm not japanese, and I shan't pretend to be.

Released without Any pre-readers first going through it, this is one of my first in doing so :P Hopefully, no one will complain too much -_-

Another note, in the future, this fanfic might progress from PG13 to R-rating … speak up if you're against this, although personally I can't see why anyone would have anything against that. There's no better way for a romantic story to progress, other than through sharing their love by becoming "one" with each other. 

Yes, I'm an avid lemon-reader, but I mostly only enjoy those who gives me the teary-eyed feeling of WAFFiness like the Excellent NGE fanfics Holding Hands and Phoenix Rising (which both became lemons, in later chapters).

Regarding the finishing of this chapter … I have to admit, once I noticed that there were another Hikaru/Akari fanfic out, I felt that I just had to finish this. Haven't read it yet, though, but I will.

Hope this starts a trend! :D

Last, but not least, please give me your comments regarding the WAFFiness of this chapter. I'm training myself for the future chapters of FME! :) And also, thank you so much for reading this!

/DeadMeat

P.S. Not a kawaii nickname, but I'm still kawaii! D.S.

P.P.S. Kawaii = cute … =P D.S.

P.P.P.S. I'm sorry, Lita, for not being clear enough. This fic is still PG13, so no, they didn't do anything more than cuddle and kiss in the end of chapter one :p Thanks for misunderstanding :) D.S.


	2. Ch2: Making bridges

**Title:**     The move

**Author: **   Dead^Meat (deadmeat@bhlegend.com) 

**ICQ:**       7790861    (Auth. req. – state who you are when you ask)

*Note regarding ICQ: I very, Very rarely use it nowadays, but please contact me on my e-mail if you want to get in touch, I use MSN. Although not with this e-mail, so please send me an e-mail if you want me to add you … :) *

**Dates of revision:**    2003-06-09 v 0.05 (Started)

                      2004-02-01 v 1.0  Chapter 2 released

* Disclaimer: Characters from Hikaru no Go have been used without permission. All characters contained in this work are copyright their respective mangaka and publishers, etc. No financial gain made by this.

* Quick-list of various Japanese words/phrases used, and it's translation.

-kun       = name suffix

-san       = name suffix

-chan      = name suffix, mainly girls

Go         = a popular Japanese board game using black and white stones

Hai        = yes

Insei      = special Go-student

* Reading: 

"d" - Denotes speaking

'd' - Denotes thinking

_d_ - Denotes punctuation

|d| - Denotes sound effects

******************************************************************

Chapter two: Making bridges 

******************************************************************

"Alright guys, see you tomorrow!" Waya Yoshitaka called out to his friends, and ventured out into the cool night while casually zipping his jacket. Tugging his hands into his pockets, he took a quick look back at the old Go-salon behind him, smiled fondly and joined the small crowd strolling through the streets.

His mind empty, but for thoughts of what to do tomorrow, he impulsively decided on walking through the park on his way to the train station, thinking that it might not hurt to get a good walk every now and then. 

Besides, it was a beautiful night, the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the areas the park-lanterns could not reach, making it seem like a scene from some nocturnal story. He soon came to regret his decision.

Everywhere around him, the sight of couples caught his eye, people sitting close together, making out, hugging each other and everything, not at all caring for whom they displayed their affection.

It made him sick.

Sick with jealousy.

Shaking his head, he attempted to clear it when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something unusual, a girl sitting by herself on the swing, her head hung low and emitting an aura of depression.

It was close, he almost ignored her and walked by, as he would've done if not for the quick glimpse he got of the girls face, which made him stop in his tracks.

It was Nase. Nase Asumi, a former fellow insei student, a friend he haven't seen for a while.

At first surprised, now he felt curiosity creeping up on him, as thoughts of why Nase looked so glum filled his head. On yet another impulse, he decided to confront her.

******************************************************************

"Yo."

As she heard this greeting, Nase Asumi lifted her head slightly and found herself looking straight into the smiling, concerned face of her friend, Waya Yoshitaka.

"Hello, Waya-kun …" She said, turning her face away as to hide her swollen eyelids.

"Mind if I join you?" He then asked her, and without waiting for a reply he sat himself next to her, and began to swing.

Not responding, Asumi sat and waited, waited for the inevitable question that soon would come, questions of concern, of sympathy, asking for answers they would not understand. They could not.

But it never came. After a while, Asumi sneaked a quick look at Waya, who had stopped swinging and was now staring up at the moon, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. 

For a second, Asumi felt irritated at him, for first coming here and disturbing her, and then just plain ignored her, staying silent like that and not asking how she felt. Immediately afterwards, she felt slightly foolish for having those kinds of thoughts, and decided to break the silence.

"Umm, what are you looking at?" Asumi hesitantly wondered.

"The moon." Waya simply replied, as if that answered everything.

"The moon …" Asumi echoed, and joined him in his unprovoked staring contest with the greyish orb.

Looking up at the dark sky, it dominated the stars infrequent blinking with it's bright light, illuminating everything around them, only slightly dimmed by the occasional cloud swiftly whipping past the night. 

An arm reached out, Wayas right hand stretched out and seemingly tried to grasp the large orb in front of him.

"If you hold your hand out like this…" Waya started, ignoring the stare he got from the girl sitting next to him, "it feels like you could catch the moon, however far it is …"

"Doesn't it?" He then asked her, finally giving her a look of partly joking, and partly seriousness.

Taking his question seriously, Asumi imitated his pose, and after a while admitted loudly that yes, it's true.

"Good!" He told her, and grinned like the Waya she always knew.

"I expect to see you by the town square fountain at 13 ó clock sharp, you understand?"

Shocked at having been asked out rather brusquely, and very unexpectedly, Asumi stammered out if it was a date he's asking for.

"Nah, it's a challenge! I challenge you to be there on time, you representative of the female gender you!" Waya laughed, and launched himself off the swing, stopping himself a few feet away from her, his back towards her. In a sudden, serious tone, he gave her his prediction.

"As long as you keep trying, one day you _will_ reach the moon, and that day will be next years Pro-exam. I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll see you then!" With these final words, Waya leapt off and left a stunned Asumi sitting there staring after him, with a tear slowly forming in her swollen eyes.

******************************************************************

"I can't stay."

Turning around, Akari pushed herself away from Hikaru's chest, on which she had been resting on and off for the last hour by talking softly, kissing and cuddling Hikaru, and just enjoying the warmth and feeling of being close to her love.

"I know" she replied, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Will you have problems with your parents? It is late, after all."

"Nah, I shouldn't think so. It's not the first time I come home this late."

"Oh?" Akari inquired suspiciously, eyeing her boyfriend through narrowed eyes. "And what were you doing out this late?"

"Uh, playing Go! What else would I be doing?" Grinning, Hikaru pulled Akari up to his lips, where they shared a long, sensual kiss, a kiss that answered all questions regarding their relationship, and more. 

After a while, both pulled back, feeling all flustered and stuck in the middle of an emotional storm, a storm which would take a long time to subside, should they let themselves go with the flow.

Gently, Hikaru pushed Akari away from him and stood up, stretching in the moonlit room under the loving attention of Akari. Still fully-clothed, Hikaru only had to kneel down to tie his sneakers, before he was finished and ready to leave. Glancing out of the window, he commented with a rather surprised note that the rain had finally stopped.

Turning her head, she saw that it was true, the rain had stopped, as had the drumming on her roof. Realising that they had missed the end of the rain, she grinned inwardly, thinking that it was probably because they had been so focused on each other. 

Having only heard about it before, this tingly feeling of being alone with the one you love, together in the entire universe, to suddenly have experienced it, and now crave for it with all of her heart, both amazed and scared her to no end. 

What if she suddenly lost it? What if, as quickly as these emotions had blossomed, they completely eroded away, leaving mere rusty stains on her severely wounded soul? It would hurt. It would definitely hurt, Akari decided, before she shook off her fear and resolved herself to enjoy the moment. This precious moment.

Noticing him having finished tying his sneakers, Akari quickly stood up, still clad in her yellow, flower patterned pyjamas, and then walked into the arms of her boyfriend. Her boyfriend!

Pressing her small hands against his lean chest, she comfortably rested her head on his right shoulder while he gently wrapped his arms around her in a soothing embrace, casually caressing her back.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" Akari quietly whispered into Hikaru's shoulder.

"Well, I've got a pro-game to play in the afternoon, but after that … will you come to see me?"

Akari nodded slowly, then inquired about time and location, both of which she mentally noted to herself.

"I can barely wait to see you again."

"Me neither … good night, Akari-chan."

Releasing her, Hikaru walked up to the window, opened it up and climbed out onto the tiny balcony.

"Be careful!" Akari warned him, to which he nodded absentmindedly, then jumped down from the window, landing with a splash on the wet grass one floor down. Giving her a final wave, he then ran away, leaving Akari to lean out of the window and watch after him.

Having lost him to the night, Akari shut close her window and plopped back down on her slightly damp bed, seizing the pillow Hikaru had laid on.

It still smelled of him.

Cuddling the pillow close to her head, taking in the lingering, foreign smell into her nose, she felt certain that she wouldn't be haunted by sleeplessness tonight.

******************************************************************

Waya stood restlessly in front of an convenience store, leaning against the wall and looking up at the cloudy sky.

Behind him, Hikaru exited the store with two ice cream cones, then handed one to Waya. Waya thanked Hikaru, and they both walked away to a bench nearby, on which they sat and started to nibble on the cold, tasty ice.

"Heard anything from Isumi-kun yet?" Hikaru asked his friend, giving him a curious glance.

"Nah, not yet. But we were supposed to meet tomorrow for a quick game or something, you could join us if you want to. Maybe talk a little bit about that international tournament for eighteen's and under."

"What? Oh, that's right. That tournament …" Hikaru said, surprising Waya. This was not like him at all.

"Oy, you forgot about it? What's the matter? Anything troubling you?"

"I uh, I've just got something on my mind, that's all." Hikaru muttered, and from his tone Waya concluded that that was the end of the discussion, so he changed the topic.

"Anyway, regarding that tournament, there're only two spots left, you know."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Hikaru spat out, grumbling to himself and quoted the reports. "Touya Akira is exempt from the qualification rounds. Like hell he should be, just 'cause he's been a pro for a year longer than me."

'Hey, what about me?' Waya bitterly thought, but quickly shook it off. 'No use worrying about Shindou-kun and Touya-kun, I've got to beat Ochi first.'

"Oh, yeah, sorry Waya-kun. We became pros at the same time." Hikaru smiled, embarrassed. Glancing at his watch, he then finished off the rest of his ice cream, stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. 

"C'mon, I want to finish the game quickly. Got an appointment to keep."

"Yeah," Waya agreed, and joined him standing up. "Me too."

******************************************************************

While waiting for Asumi at the square, Waya got a call on his cell-phone. Eyeing the caller, he was glad to see that it was from Isumi's mobile, and quickly took the call.

"Hey, Isumi-kun! Glad you called, I was wondering about when to meet tomorrow. And oh, Shindou-kun might join us."

"Hello Waya-kun. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow …"

"Yeah? What gives?"

From the slight pause on the other side, Waya guessed that he should be expecting bad news. He was right.

"Well, you see, something came up. Something I can't cancel. So I am really sorry, but we can't get together tomorrow."

"Aww, man!" Waya complained, and could almost imagine his friend cringing. "It's been months! Ever since you left for china and the extended training period!"

"I know, I know, I am so sorry Waya-kun, but this thing that came up, I really can't cancel it. I am truly sorry."

From the sincere tone coming from his friend, Waya knew that it was pointless, so he sighed audibly and gave up. Of course, he was still disappointed, even though he will forgive Isumi, but it might help if he knew the reason, though, and this he told his friend.

He was very surprised at hearing Isumi stammer at that.

"I, I uh, I'll tell you later … okay? Please?"

"… sure thing. Later. But by then, I want to hear it all. Everything. You hear me!"

"Yes, I will tell you everything later. Let's catch up some time next week, I will call you to confirm."

"Yeah, you do that. Bye."

"Good bye, Waya-kun."

As Waya hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket, he shook his head and smiled, thinking of his friend.

"Who was that?"

Surprised, Waya leaped away from his questioner, only to see that it was Asumi, a grinning version of her at least. Her eyelids seem to have taken a more normal shape by now, Waya noted appreciatively. Now you could see her eyes …

Catching himself staring at her, he took a quick glance at the clock, which told him that she had been on time, with a marginal, and he told her that.

"Well, I didn't have that much to do at home, so I left earlier." Asumi replied, and bent her head in a querying way.

"Oh! Uh, it was Isumi. Telling me he couldn't come to our prearranged meeting, tomorrow."

"I see …" Asumi said, opening her eyes in a dramatic way. "I guess you're not burning your bridges."

Not understanding her at first, when he did, Waya sputtered and glared back at the teasing eyes he received, and in a mock attempt to recover his dignity, he headed off ahead of her. Asumi just laughed, and quickly joined him.

Ignoring the curious glances he got from her, he quickly led the way to the, for him, familiar shape of the old, run-down Go-salon.

As his companion noticed where they were headed, she stopped in her tracks and queried him about it in an obviously nervous tone.

"It's a Go-salon a few friends of mine have just taken over." Waya began, trying to ease his friend's mind. "I know, it doesn't look like much right now, but it'll get a lot better after the renovation, and a lot cooler too, with the kind of crowd they're trying to attract."

"What crowd?" Asumi asked him, and to which Waya just opened the door, revealing the musty, old room. Apart from the old and dark interior, stained wallpapers and furniture ready for the junkyard, the clientele was definitely of the more unusual sort, at least in this types of facility, which was between 20 and 30 where most Go-salons was populated by middle-aged men and above.

As she entered the room, she noted that most people were scattered around the room, either playing Go or watching a game being played. On a small table with wheels, which looked oddly mismatched to all other furniture, was a TV, showing a muted, but furiously blinking program from one of the more popular music channels.

A few heads turned around to check the new arrivals, but most stayed where it was, focused on the game. One of the first group stood up and cheerily greeted them.

"Hello, beautiful! Now what is a cute girl like you doing with Mister Bore over here?" A man in his middle twenties said, with bleached blonde hair, winking eyes and a lady-killer smile. Waya just rolled his eyes and glared at the newcomer.

"Aww, shut up Okumura-kun. Tell me, is Hiromi-sensei in?"

"Eh?" The man said, surprised. "No, she's not. Perhaps later today, who knows." They exchanged a knowing look, and then Waya thought of a good idea. Which he quickly voiced, before things turned … ugly.

"Nase-chan, this is one of the regulars here, Okumura Ken. Okumura-kun, this is Nase Asumi, one of my old insei friends."

"Please take care of me." Asumi said, and bowed to Waya's friend, who bowed back and they traded mutual greetings. "So who is this Hiromi-sensei you were talking about?"

"It's one of the owners of this place, I gather she's the reason you brought her here?" Getting an affirmative nod from Waya, Okumura smiled apologetically and told them that they might have to wait a while.

"Then we can spend some time with a game, first. Nase-chan, are you up for a game with Okumura-kun here?"

Not the least surprised, Asumi was still very hesitant to accepting the proposition. There have been a few bad memories in her past.

"Well, I don't know …" She told him, hoping that he would understand her. He might've done that, but he insisted anyway, and she had to accept.

As a table was cleared for them, Asumi had a quick, whispered conversation with Waya.

"Is this really a good thing?" She asked him, feeling nervous. "I've played Go on dates before, it went horrible. The date, I mean."

"Don't worry," Waya brushed it off, smiling back at her. "I won't leave you here with these schmucks. Besides, I love Go too, so I understand completely. And we do have time to spend."

"Well, there are other ways, you know …" Asumi hinted, casting a swift glance at the door.

Waya just smiled reassuringly, and told her that there would be time for that as well.

******************************************************************

'What is exactly going on, anyway?' Hikaru asked himself as he walked swiftly to meet his date, having finished his game quickly and left just as fast to avoid any more questions. He knew himself to be pretty spontaneous, and that he would sometimes act rashly and without thinking, but this went way beyond what he usually ended up with. As of yesterday night, he was in a relationship! He had a girlfriend! And on top of that, it was Akari! Akari, of all people!

Chuckling to himself, he wondered how long it'd take for this to end. He was already counting the days, since he knew he would not be able to hold on to this kind of thing. 

It will probably be difficult. Especially after having heard all those stories from his friends, about what to do and so on. They were all complaining and loud mouthing the whole dating-process, about how the girls got under their skin and immediately dumped them when they saw even the slightest flaw in the guy. Akari will surely get to know his faults, and dump him as well.

'Although … doesn't she already know all of them?'

Feeling a slight chill sweeping through him, he tugged his coat tighter around him against the non-existent wind, and moved on.

******************************************************************

Having arrived at the agreed place, a popular meeting place for couples, Akari glanced at her wristwatch, which told her that she was half an hour early. Deciding against standing at one spot and waiting, she walked briskly around the square, looking for Hikaru. Having spotted him, she almost cheerfully called out to him, but promptly stopped herself when she noticed his dark, brooding features as he sat on a bench staring down at the ground.

Instead, Akari quietly walked around in a circle and closed in on him from his blind side. When she got close enough, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pitched up her voice and asked.

"Hey, you hunk. Want to go grab a bite with me?"

Stunned, Hikaru stood up and tried to free himself from his unexpected assailant.

"Sorry, I'm waiting for someone." He admitted and started blushing as he felt something – he had a good idea what they were – poking him on his back.

"Aww, what I shame. And here I thought we had a date you and I." Akari giggled, having reverted to her own voice.

Wide-eyed, Hikaru turned around and stared deep into Akari's eyes.

Akari, in turn, blushed up into Hikaru's stare, noticing how his earlier tense features vanished like a cloud on a sunny day.

Having overcome his initial surprise, he gently hugged her back, still looking deep into her eyes, and in his best apologetic voice, he told her the bad news.

"I'm sorry, it was cancelled. Didn't my secretary call you?"

"I think she did, but I ignored her, since I wanted to see you so much."

"Che, it can't be helped then. I guess I'll dump her and settle with you, instead."

"You better!" Akari laughed, broke their embrace and rushed off, winking back at him. 

Hikaru smiled back at her, and quickly followed her trail.

******************************************************************

Author's Notes:

O_o

First of all, I sincerely thank you all for reading, appreciating, and above all, commenting on this little piece of work I wrote half a year ago.

Things have been … strange, and hectic, and my life is quite a mess, so writing haven't really been something I've felt like doing since the first chapter of this story was posted. 

In truth, after having written about half of chapter 2, summer came along and things happened, which resulted in me forgetting about it for a long time, and for the brief periods of when I do remembered, I just didn't feel like writing. It felt … difficult, sitting down, opening my laptop and … write.

But, always in those periods, I was constantly surprised, and very pleased, that comments was still posted, and they all egged me on until last Christmas, when I felt that Enough was Enough. I need to start writing again!

Of course, having a friend (let's call him the Aussie Anime Fanboy, he knows who I mean) being a fan of The Move and constantly asking me about it's progress helped as well. He often bombards me with suggestions as well, most of which is very appreciated, some used or will be used, but a lot just hilarious. Thank you.

So cheers to him, and cheers to you all.

Regarding my thoughts of there being a throng of yaoi/shounen ai fanfics in the HnG section, I'm glad that I wasn't the only one. However good, or imaginative these stories might be, since in my opinion it's quite unfitting of their personality and character to even Be contemplating a homosexual relationship, I'm not into reading any of the sort.

If it was a fanfic involving anime characters that Are homosexual, and which I liked, then that would be a completely different thing.

This, btw, also applies to the Naruto-section, where it's perhaps even More Terrible than over here, LOL!

(And yes, yes, I _am_ considering writing a _straight_ Naruto fanfic, I do have some ideas floating around. Please comment on this possibility.)

I hope I made myself clear, and I beg you all yaoi/shounen-ai fangirls to have mercy on my poor soul. :)

Anyway, with this chapter I bring you the (possible) match up of Nase Asumi and Waya Yoshitaka, starting on one of many sidetracks along the Hikaru/Akari storyline.

It's just the first of many, and will include new, hopefully lovable characters, so please stick with me, and give me your thoughts and feelings regarding the characters soon joining the crew.

Btw, all the characters might not be truly IC, as I admit it has been a while I saw the series, but I will try my best to reflect them as true as I can.

Last, but not least, I beg forgiveness for my past, and future mistakes regarding Japanese name-suffices, but I will keep using them as they, in my humble opinion, quite clearly reflect the relationship between two people through their usage.

That was all for today, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter at least as much as the first chapter, and I sincerely hope that you won't have to wait for the next chapter as long as this one.

As always, please R&R, and I do hope you realise that it works.

If not for all your constantly flowing comments, it might've been a years waiting time instead! :)

Yours

/DeadMeat

P.S. Still kawaii, even after half a years absence. D.S.


	3. Ch3: The Encounter

**Title:**     The move

**Author: **   Dead^Meat (deadmeat@bhlegend.com) 

**ICQ:**       7790861    (Auth. req. – state who you are when you ask)

*Note regarding ICQ: I very, Very rarely use it nowadays, but please contact me on my e-mail if you want to get in touch, I use MSN. Although not with this e-mail, so please send me an e-mail if you want me to add you … :) *

**Dates of revision:**    2003-06-09 v 0.05 (Started)

                      2004-04-22 v 1.0  Chapter 3 released

* Disclaimer: Characters from Hikaru no Go have been used without permission. All characters contained in this work are copyright their respective mangaka and publishers, etc. No financial gain made by this.

* Quick-list of various Japanese words/phrases used, and it's translation.

-kun       = name suffix

-san       = name suffix

-chan      = name suffix, mainly girls

Go         = a popular Japanese board game using black and white stones

Hai        = yes

Insei      = special Go-student

* Reading: 

"d" - Denotes speaking

'd' - Denotes thinking

_d_ - Denotes punctuation

|d| - Denotes sound effects

******************************************************************

Chapter three: The encounter 

******************************************************************

Having decided what colour to play, Asumi and Okumura bid each other good luck, and the game began. Since most people's games had ended by now, they came over to watch Okumura, a well-known regular to this salon, play against a younger girl, who was a blissful sight for sore eyes.

What they saw was a slightly nervous start from the girl's side, but after a few moves into it her game became more and more confident, her eyes focused and the expression on her face tense with concentration, just how they pictured an ordinary Go-player.

Among the growing crowd around the table was Waya, who stood slightly behind Okumura with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed slits silently watching over the table.

He was focused, yes. But not at the game, no, instead he was focused on Asumi. Only after a while did he realise this, having been caught up in wishful thinking and fleeting dreams, but when he did, he found himself enjoying watching Asumi. Watching her face, as her expression changes with each move, ranging from thoughtful to solemn, with her eyes darting around the board and her left hand unconsciously pulling the bottom of her ear, something he had noticed her doing when she was deep in concentration.

Catching all of these signs which he had once learned, and looked for, he started to feel nostalgia for her, for the time they shared when they were both insei. When they had laughed, had cried, had felt joy and pain and generally been very good friends ever since their first day as insei, which was at the same time. As his thoughts drifted away on the endless sea of memories, he began to unconsciously wish that he would see more of her, from now on.

******************************************************************

The afternoon sun sent it's dimming rays into the confines of an old, unlit classroom, sharing whatever light it had left for the fading day with the few occupants who still sat in their seats, hours after the school had rung out and everyone either left for club or gone home.

One of them was a young boy named Mitani Yuki, who sat hunched over a pile of paper, a frown covering his face as he scratched down his answer to the last question, roughly grabbed all the papers on his desk and thrust them out in front of him.

Opposite to him was the girl called Kaneko Masako, who was hunched over her own pile of papers. Noticing that Mitani seems to be finished with his homework, she calmly finished a calculation, straightened up and then took his papers with her usual, unconcerned expression, and began to grade him with swift, clean strokes of her pen.

Mitani leaned back on his chair and put his feet up on the neighbouring table, looking out of the window with an indifferent face, while trying to hide the growing feeling of nervousness. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was already finished with half of it, and that the papers were covered with, in his opinion, too much red ink, and so his feeling of dread deepened.

He started to wish that he would suddenly grow wings so he could fly the heck out of here.

******************************************************************

"Oh god, is that the time?" A woman exclaimed out loud, having caught a glimpse of the clock hung up above a store nearby. Increasing the frequency of her steps, she quickly minimised the distance between her and her goal, and stopped herself on the doorsteps. With a few, delicate strokes on her hair, flannel shirt and worn denim jeans, she made herself presentable and got ready for the scolding.

Opening the door, she feinted a stumble into the musty interior and was about to launch her blushing grin and usual tirade of excuses, when she noticed that something was out of place. There was no cheering at her.

Instead, everyone seemed to be crowding around one of the tables, and this peaked her interest to the sky.

Closing the door, she quietly sneaked through the unorganised table arrangement, silencing everyone that noticed her with a finger over her lips and a mischievous wink in her eyes, until finally she got a good spot overlooking the table.

On the table was a Go-board, and on it were lots of small black and white stones placed, in an intricate design that most people wouldn't understand. Regarding the woman, after a few moments thoughts she got the general idea made up in her mind, and began to examine the people around the table. 

On opposing sides of the board was a young, pretty girl she had never seen before, and Okumura-san. Okumura-san usually took care of the rookies in the area, and he is pretty good, so it's nice to see him sweat every once in a while, which he is currently doing while playing against this girl. 

The girl looked like she was having a hard time, as well, but you could see that she was enjoying, and perhaps even agonising, over the game.

Sweeping her eyes through the crowd, she immediately caught the odd bird out of the eagle's nest. Everyone around the table was thoughtfully watching the game, except for Waya-kun, who had his eyes on someone else.

Having seen the forest through all the trees, the woman grinned and curled her lips up in a cat-ate-the-canary smile, and turned back to the game.

******************************************************************

Sighing, Isumi Shinichiro sat on the passenger seat, listening to his mother telling him once more what he should and shouldn't do.

"… and remember, Shin-chan, don't do anything to offend our guest!"

"No, mother." Isumi moaned, having heard the same sentence repeatedly for more than an hour now.

"And if the money I gave you isn't enough," His father added, not for the first time, "don't hesitate to use your own, and I will repay you later. Just make sure our guest doesn't have to pay."

"Yes, father." Isumi readily agreed, and placed a hand over his slightly bulging wallet. 'At least this part of the deal isn't all that bad. If only there was a slight modification of the expected guest.'

As the car approached the airport, Isumi idly stared up at the crimsoning sky through the window, looking for the expected flight from China, and worried about how this catastrophe would unfold …"

******************************************************************

A young girl sat on an old couch, looking all worn and very tired while replaying the last game in her mind, trying out alternative moves and different approaches. In short, she wanted to find a way to get a different ending to the recently finished game, in which she unfortunately lost.

After having done that for a while, she sighed, dropped on her side and stared up at the ceiling while holding an unopened can of coke over her forehead, in a mild attempt to ease her riddled mind, freeing it from the lingering disappointment. This was of course the exact moment that Waya chose to come along and remind her.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, sitting down on the other end of the couch. "You don't look so good."

"Oh, well …" Asumi sighed, and closed her eyes. "It could've been better. Guess the past few days lack of rest has taken its toll on me."

"To say the least." Waya agreed, quieting down to give her the rest she needed.

As she laid there, lying comfortably on the couch, breathing rhythmically, she felt herself slowly slip away, away to the familiar dreamland she had long since visited, but yearned to go. A sudden feeling of soft, cool fingers caressing her cheek resulted in a sharp intake of air, and she flipped her eyes open to stare into Waya's, both transfixed by each others intense gaze. For what felt like an eternity, Asumi lost herself in Waya's hazel eyes, her cheeks coloured in a healthy shade of red, which intensified when a woman's voice interrupted them.

"Weren't you supposed to introduce me, Waya-kun?" the woman smiled, winking at Asumi. She started to blush, and quickly stood up alongside an equally blushing Waya.

"Uh, yeah … well, Nase-san, this is Hiromi sensei, one of the owners of this place, and a 5-Dan Go Pro. Hiromi sensei, this is one of my old insei friends, Nase Asumi."

"Pleased to meet you." Asumi said, bowing to the older woman who returned the gesture.

"As am I. I saw your game, have you been playing for long?"

"Well, it's been a couple of years."

"Really? Well, I think you're making pretty good progress, but if you ask me you guys should go to the next step, now. No reason to wait, is there?" With that said, Hiromi sensei smiled brightly, shifting her gaze from Asumi to Waya, and back.

Soon enough, the two of them made the connection, and both started to diligently protest.

"No no, you've got it all wrong!" Waya exclaimed, and Asumi continued.

"Yes, we're only friends!"

"Really? Aww, that's so boring. You guys look so good together, you know." Hiromi sensei made a pout, but quickly changed back to her usual smiles. "Anyway, Asumi-chan, could I have a word with you?"

Taken aback by the sudden request, and the strangeness of everything that had happen, she could only nod her agreement, after which the woman quickly shooed Waya away.

After she made sure that they wouldn't be disturbed, Hiromi sensei made herself comfortable, and bid Asumi to do the same. 

"So, Asumi-chan, what do you think of my Go-salon?"

"Well … honestly, it looks a little … shaggy."

Hearing that comment, Hiromi sensei made big eyes and a brief motion as if looking around in awe, then turned back to Asumi.

"Nooo, you think this place looks shaggy? You're kidding, right?" Asumi could only shake her head, then Hiromi sensei leaned forward, gesticulating for Asumi to do the same. In a whisper, she then confessed her own impressions.

"Well, I admit that at first glance, it really does look pretty awful, doesn't it? And for a casual eye, that's about it with this place." 

"But!" Hiromi sensei added, with a bright shine in her eyes. "I see something else, as well. I see unbound potential. I see a large salon with cheap rent, lots of restaurants and arcades nearby, and it's not too far away from the park and the train station. 

I see streets filled with youngsters, boys and girls, and then I see what this place could become. A gathering point for Go-interested teens and young men and women, and even better, a place that draws the passer-by in, hopefully making them interested in Go as well. We won't be like any traditional Go-salon, no, we will evolve ourselves and aim for the future generation, making the new Go of Japan!"

Asumi sat silent and still, not wanting to provoke the wheezing woman in front of her, who was red with excitement and eyes way up in the clouds. Slowly, she calmed down, and stared into Asumi's eyes.

"So, what do you think of my dream? Please answer honestly."

Having gotten the request with such a serious tone, she felt that it was no answer to give impulsively, and so she took her time before answering, making sure she formulated her thoughts first.

"Well, honestly … I think that it sounds like a great idea, but perhaps difficult to accomplish. I mean, I think it would take more than a Go-salon aimed at a younger audience to make Go more popular among the younger crowd. Perhaps through a medium like a manga, or an anime, would be easier."

Hiromi sensei straightened up and seriously considered Asumi's suggestion, and soon gave her reply. "True. But then, I'm not that good at drawing manga, so I'll do what I can in my own way." With a smile, Hiromi sensei added that she was glad that Asumi seriously thought about her dream. And then it came.

"Asumi-chan, from watching your game I felt that you had yet to decide on a certain style in your play, that you constantly shifted from one to the other instead, but still maintaining a strength in your ability to switch your approach. Others might say that you're indecisive, while I'd rather say that you have yet to find your own style, and that you're still open for something new. I think that I will be able to provide you with enough guidance for you to find the means for reaching your goal. 

With that in mind, what would you say about becoming one of my students?"

"Huh?" The sudden request surprised her, and she started to feel that with this woman around, she would always feel a few steps back, always amazed by the woman's unique and open character. This intrigued her though, and it also made her feel spirited again, and that with her as mentor she could evolve as a player, a person, and most importantly, as a woman.

"Yes, I'll be glad to study under you."

"Great! I've got my first student! That calls for a celebration!"

******************************************************************

Having shown their guest to the Isumi households guestroom, Isumi sighed quietly by himself, half-lying on a sofa in the living room, gazing at whatever it was that was on the TV. Over and over again, his mind recalled and replayed the todays events, and the reason why everything is as it is.

Sure, he was awfully grateful that his new-found Chinese friend Yan Hai let him stay in the dorm in Yan Hai's room, and he would have gladly offered the same service if Yan Hai ever needed it. So when Yan Hai called from China to ask, Isumi gladly accepted, with his parents approval of course. Yan Hai did point out that it was his cousin who needed a place to stay, and not him personally, while learning Japanese directly from the natives. 

'Well, that was fine as well, no problem. We can talk about the details later.'

This proved to be fatal, for Isumi … since it was in fact later on that he discovered whom their guest really was … and by then, it was all too late for his objections, since every party had already agreed.

"Hello? Isumi-kun? Can I ask question?"

"Huh?" Stirred from his troubled deliriums, Isumi quickly stood up and faced his beautiful, Chinese guest while blushing healthily.

"Do you have tampon like this? I require some soon." She asked him straightforwardly, handing him a sample of what she was looking for.

Wide-eyed, Isumi stared a while at the white, fluffy roll placed on his right palm, before catching himself and looked back up, meeting the girls naughty grin.

"Thank you, Isumi-kun. Good night." Not waiting for an answer, she promptly turned around on her heels and swaggered out of the living room. Alternating to staring at her … and the thing in his hand, as soon as she was gone Isumi plopped back down on the sofa, feeling dazed and as if he had just been run over by a truck.

"Why doesn't anyone understand that it's not right for a girl to live in the same house as a guy, if they're not in a relationship?"

While brooding gloomily, he soon realised that he was still clutching that 'thing' in his hand, so he quickly threw it away and buried his head in-between his knees, once again wondering why fate was so cruel to him.

******************************************************************

Having stayed there for longer than planned, it had now grown dark and cold, so Waya offered to escort Nase to her train station. Neither said anything, as they walked silently onwards through the streets, each caught up in their own thoughts, and both wondering about how to break the silence. Soon enough, they reached their destination, and as Nase was about to say good night, she noticed that he had stopped a few feet away. Turning around, she saw him eyeing her nervously, and then said "I'm sorry."

"What for?" She asked him, while starting to feel slightly worried.

"Well, for the … the brusque way I asked you out yesterday. I mean, I saw you, and I thought that you looked a bit lonely, could use a little cheering up I mean, so I, I uh, I just demanded this out of you, for no reason or whatever, and I shouldn't have done that, I mean … I guess I was slightly 'under the influence' as well, there were loads of couples necking everywhere at the park yesterday, so I uh … I don't mean … uh … I'm sorry!

Having babbled out all his thoughts, he bowed deeply to Nase, and hoped that at least the last part was coherent enough to get through to her. He really did feel sorry, since this might have been the wrong way to start things, if there indeed was anything to get started at all.

Imagine his surprise, when he felt her cool hands lift his chin up and her eyes seeking his. What made him catch his breath was not her fragrance wafting in through his nose, nor her intense gaze burrowing deeply into his eyes. No, it was the angelic smile that blossomed on her bright face, as she realised his honest feelings.

"You don't need to apologise, Waya-kun. I truly enjoyed todays 'date', it was fun and made me feel more relaxed than I had been the last week. Besides, I got a chance to talk with Hiromi sensei, and I think it proved very fruitful indeed. So …" Asumi breathed, while gently pulling his face close to hers. "Whenever you want a real date, just ask, ok?" And then she gave him a kiss on his cheeks.

"Good night, Waya-kun." Asumi bid the young man in front of her, and left him, still spellbound and staring after her, at the foot of the stairs to the train station.

******************************************************************

Author's Notes:

By god, he's back! Amazing!

Well, anyway, after a few months waiting I'm finally finished with chapter 3. Truth be told, I was finished with half of it since February, but after I got to the section where Hiromi sensei was supposed to talk to Asumi, I couldn't write any more. I just couldn't. And that's how it continued, until today! Today, I say myself down to write, and write I did! :D 

Anyway, for all those who are interested in how this chapter progressed from idea to finish, check out the following link:

wen.nu/~taah/the_move_ch3-outline-sm.jpg

I don't do this often, if at all, but for this chapter I did, and it was pretty cool :) Was a lot of help for my, months after planning, for remembering my original plans and adjusting them.

In any case, thank you all for your support by giving me comments, the FFN author's lifeblood.

In the next chapter, we will once again move our focus to yet another set of people. Look forward to it!

Hopefully, it will come out this month, but don't count on it ;P

Thanks once again!

Yours

/DeadMeat

P.S. Isn't he kawaii? :D D.S.


End file.
